WhatsApp, Kik and Line have made their mark on mobile app stores around the world by offering a more robust chat ecosystem than Apple or Google have managed to create on their own. Now that Google has fully transitioned from Google Chat to Hangouts on the desktop, the company has an opportunity to bring the improved software to its mobile platform in a much more meaningful way. Android Police received alleged screenshots of Android 4.4 KitKat which show settings that will enable SMS and MMS with Hangouts. Although there is no hard evidence indicating that the Messaging app will be done away with altogether, combining the popular Hangouts chat service with existing mobile messaging services would be a smart way to compete with third-party apps. Check out the purported leaked screenshots below.
Google to open fire at WhatsApp, other messaging giants
Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:43PM EST
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Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.
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